The ultimate 'God Mode' list: 39 secret Windows 7 shortcuts

Summary:For some reason that only the gods of the blogosphere can explain, an old Windows trick took on new life this week. Even Steven Sinofsky got into the act, sending along his own list of secret 'God mode' shortcuts to CNET's Ina Fried. But that's not all. In the outtakes for my most recent book, I found an even longer list of GUIDs that lead to secret Windows shortcuts. Enjoy.

For some reason that only the gods of the blogosphere can explain, an old Windows trick took on new life this week. If you create a new folder using an arbitrary name, followed by a period and the GUID {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}, you end up with a categorized list of Control Panel tasks. As I explained last weekend, there's nothing new or hidden in this list, but calling it "God mode" seems to have given this tip wings. Even Steven Sinofsky got into the act, sending a list of 15 additional GUID-based shortcuts to my colleague Ina Fried at CNET.

So, that must be it, right? If Sinofsky has spoken then surely there can't be any more.

Ha. I had compiled a list of these shortcuts for use in Windows 7 Inside Out but cut this section for space reasons. (It is slated to appear in the Deluxe edition, due next year.) I found that list the other day and just finished testing all of these shortcuts on a pair of clean Windows 7 installations. Here, then, is my Ultimate List of 'God Mode' shortcuts for Windows 7.

As with the other shortcuts, the process of turning one of these GUIDs into a shortcut that opens a shell folder or Control Panel item is straightforward. Start by right-clicking any empty space on the desktop or in a folder. Right-click and choose New, Folder. Type the name you want to appear under the shortcut, followed by a period and then the GUID shown in the list here, complete with curly braces on either end. Press enter and voila, you're done.

Update: For those who are wondering how to make use of these shortcuts, here's one trick I use. Create a shortcut in your Documents folder or on the Desktop. Call it something distinctive, like My Custom Control Panel. Now create a handful of GUID-based folders in here for the Control Panel shortcuts and shell folders you use most often. When you open that folder, you'll see only the items you want, with no additional clutter. Unlike standard shortcuts, there's no little arrow on the icon, and the Address bar always allows you to go right back to your custom folder. If you drag that icon onto the Start menu or onto the Taskbar's icon, you can pin it for quicker access.

[Also note that some users have reported problems when using some of these shortcuts, especially on systems running Windows Vista 64-bit. Please don't try these shortcuts on any mission critical system!]

[Also note that some users have reported problems when using some of these shortcuts, especially on systems running Windows Vista 64-bit. Please don't try these shortcuts on any mission critical system!]

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. He has served as editor of the U.S. edition of PC Computing and managing editor of PC World; both publications had monthly paid circulation in excess of 1 million during his tenure. He is the a...
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Ed Bott is a freelance technical journalist and book author. All work that Ed does is on a contractual basis.Since 1994, Ed has written more than 25 books about Microsoft Windows and Office. Along with various co-authors, Ed is completely responsible for the content of the books he writes. As a key part of his contractual relationship with publishers, he gives them permission to print and distribute the content he writes and to pay him a royalty based on the actual sales of those books. Ed's books have been distributed under several imprints: Que Publishing (a division of Pearson Education); Microsoft Press (with production and distribution by O'Reilly), and Fair Trade Digital Exchange, where he was briefly a partner. On occasion, Ed accepts consulting assignments. In recent years, he has worked as an expert witness in cases where his experience and knowledge of Microsoft and Microsoft Windows have been useful. In each such case, his compensation is on an hourly basis, and he is hired as a witness, not an advocate. Ed sometimes receive fees and/or travel expenses for live speeches and webinars from companies and organizations. Acceptance of these fees does not constitute an endorsement of the company's products. Ed does not own stock or have any other financial interest in Microsoft or any other software company. He owns 500 shares of stock in EMC Corporation, which was purchased before the company's acquisition of VMware. In addition, he owns 350 shares of stock in Intel Corporation, purchased more than seven years ago. All stocks are held in retirement accounts for long-term growth. Ed does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.